Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

I don’t know about you, but excuses have kept me from moving forward in a number of areas of my life. I like to say that excuses are like toes, everyone has at least 10 of them.

Excuses keep us stuck from moving forward and reaching our goals. Since I talked about exercise last week, I thought I’d share my excuses for exercise as an illustration.

So, when it comes to exercise, here are my big excuses and some of my counter-arguments:

1. I don’t feel like it. This oftentimes wins the argument. This one really bugs me and is my current excuse for not running but I know I can change that.

2. I don’t have time. However, when I realize I have 24 hours a day and exercising only needs about 30 minutes, it’s doable!

3. It’s too cold.

4. It’s too hot.

5. It’s too rainy.

6. I don’t feel good. While not feeling well can be a fact for many people, the majority of us are well enough to do a little exercise. Exercise helps us to feel better.

7. I’m too tired. The worst of all excuses.

8. I just don’t like it. It’s boring. Then, find someone and make it a time to build a friendship.

9. I don’t have the money to join a fitness club. You don’t need any money to exercise. Go out your front door and start running or walking.

10. I’ll mess up my hair. Or I’ll get sweaty. Or any version of this excuse. I decided I would do most of my running in the evening when I knew I had plenty of time to shower afterward.

Bonus Excuse: I’m afraid of snakes. I’m not kidding. I live in the Texas countryside. This is a legitimate excuse!

When we moved to Texas five years ago, I knew by all the snake stories that running out where we live is NOT a good idea for me. I’m deathly afraid of snakes to the point I can not look at pictures of them and certainly not watch any live snakes on TV.

Even if I was never near enough to a snake for it to bite me, just seeing a snake cross the road would’ve given me a heart attack.

My fears were confirmed when my neighbor was bitten by a rattlesnake and airlifted to the hospital. He survived but could have died had someone not passed his house and saw him lying on his driveway.

Another time, my husband Jonas saw a big Rattlesnake cross our driveway. That meant I could not run out my long driveway.

I know there are plenty of valid reasons that keep us from reaching our goals but most are just flimsy excuses.

What are your excuses?

We all struggle with the same stuff in different ways but there really is nothing standing in the way of accomplishing what you want in life, except for ourselves.

There’s no magic wand that will make everything happen for us.

Only pure discipline and determination will get us on the path to the life we want.

An honest evaluation of yourself may be a good place to start. Grab a piece of paper and pen and honestly confess your excuses.

Write down all the things you want to do and then write the excuses that have kept you from accomplishing them.

An honest confession in written form or telling a friend is the beginning of real change in our lives. So why not call a friend, or ask your spouse to help keep you accountable?

Just take one step toward your goals today. Once you start, you’ll see how worthless your excuses are.

This article first appeared in Anne’s Weekly newsletter! To subscribe,click here. Each week, Anne sends a short inspirational email straight to your inbox. As a subscriber, you’ll also have first access to new events, books, and more! Click to subscribe.